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East Asia film makers shrug off Oscar vacuum
2002-03-25
HONG KONG - East Asia's low profile at this year's Oscars was no big deal, Hong Kong moviemakers said on Monday, and not a sign last year's success of Chinese kung fu epic "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" was a one-hit wonder. "Of course an Oscar is an encouragement. Without it, Asian films will continue to be shot and distributed as usual," Joe Cheung, honorary president of the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild said. But he said winning an Oscar was not central to the image of the local film industry, which thrived for decades with scant notice from Western audiences. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," a Mandarin-language film mixing gravity-defying martial arts with an enchanting love story, bagged Oscars last year for best original music, best art direction, best cinematography and best foreign language film -- a first for an Asian movie. Hong Kong film makers had hoped that "Crouching Tiger," directed by Taiwan's Ang Lee and starring dashing Hong Kong actor Chow Yun-fat and former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh, would give the territory's movie industry a shot in the arm. But they think its benefits are still to come. "Crouching Tiger" was a Hong Kong/Taiwan production that would continue to have an effect on the Hong Kong film industry several years down the road, said Richard Wooley, Dean of School of Television and Film of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. "I'm pretty certain that that effect is quietly carrying on," said Wooley, whose academy produces about 25 film graduates a year. "It would take a little longer for that effect to ripple through. So you're looking two to three years down the road and then we might see some effect," he added. Moviemakers in Hong Kong had hoped the film would set new standards for local productions and shake off a reputation for making low-budget, low-quality movies aimed only at turning a quick buck. SHOALIN SOCCER SCORES Meanwhile, Chinese-language cinema is doing well catering to local comic tastes, industry participants said. Nonsensical comedy "Shaolin Soccer" captivated Hong Kong moviegoers with its unusual blend of martial arts and football, becoming Hong Kong's biggest-grossing film ever when it was released last summer. The film will even screen in major U.S. cities including New York and Los Angeles in April or May as one of the rare Chinese titles to hit U.S. cinemas. Few Chinese titles are released in mainstream cinemas in the U.S. except for those starring kung-fu heroes Jackie Chan or Jet Li. "(The comedy genre of films) is getting better again. I think it went a bit downhill," Wooley said. "I think Shaolin Soccer is a welcome return to form. I hope it's not just an odd one out," he added. Miramax Films, a unit of Walt Disney, has bought the U.S. distribution rights for the comedy starring Stephen Chiau, dubbed Hong Kong's answer to rubber-faced Hollywood star Jim Carrey. Reuters
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